Interpretive Summary: During the summers of 2001, 2003, and 2003, three U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) sponsored expeditions collected seeds of blueberry relatives native to Russian far eastern Siberia and island territories. These expeditions were supported in a collaborative effort by the USDA, Agricultural Research Service, the N. I. Vavilov, All-Union Research Institute, Far East Experiment Station, Vladivostok, Russia, and The Rutgers University, in New Jersey. During this expedition 136 seedlots of seven blueberry species were obtained from continental Russia and from Sakhalin and Iturup Islands. More than half of the samples were blue-fruited. The remainder of the collection included cranberries, lingonberry, and an unusually pungent red-fruited species. Wild collected berries comprise a significant part of food of local peoples in these regions and are commonly sold in roadside markets. Seeds obtained from the trip were shared between the sponsoring agencies. Researchers can obtain seed by request from the curator, of the USDA ARS NCGR-Corvallis. These expeditions were part of a long-term plan to obtain representative small fruit species from the temperate regions of the Pacific Rim, including the Pacific Northwestern United States, Canada, Alaska, Russia, China, Hawaii, Japan, and Korea.

Technical Abstract:
During 2001, 2002, and 2003, three U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) sponsored plant expeditions collected Vaccinium L. native to the Primorsky, Khabarovsk, Amursky, and Sakhalin Territories, Russia. These expeditions were supported by the USDA, Agricultural Research Service, the N. I. Vavilov, All-Union Research Institute, Far East Experiment Station, Vladivostok, Russia, and The Rutgers University, in New Jersey. During these expeditions 136 seedlots of seven Vaccinium species were obtained. Most of the samples were from the dark-fruited V. smallii A. Gray (syn = V. hirtum Thunb.), V. axilare Nakai (syn. = V. ovalifolium Smith), and V. uliginosum L. In addition, the collection included the little-leaf cranberry, V. oxycoccos f. microphylla syn. = V. microcarpon (Turcz.), and the larger-leaf form (V. oxycoccos L. subsp. paulustris). Red-fruited types, including lingonberry, V. vitis-idaea L., and the pungent V. praestans Lamb., were also collected. Wild collected berries comprised a significant part of the food of local peoples. Vaccinium praestans, V. axilare, and late in the season, V. smallii and V. oxycoccos, were commonly sold in markets. Sakhalin Island and the coastal region of Khabarovsk supported diverse Vaccinium genetic resources. Population samples of open pollinated seed were collected and shared between the sponsoring agencies. Seeds can be obtained by request from the Curator of the USDA ARS NCGR-Corvallis. These expeditions are part of a long-term plan for ex-situ preservation of Vaccinium taxa from the temperate regions of the Pacific Rim, including the Pacific Northwestern United States, Canada, Alaska, Russia, China, Hawaii, Japan, and Korea.